Apparatus and method for transmitting media content

ABSTRACT

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may perform operations including, for example, receiving a plurality of user-generated comments associated with media content where the plurality of user-generated comments are temporally associated with a portion of the media content during a presentation of the media content at a group of communication devices, and identifying from the plurality of user-generated comments a cluster of comments associated with a segment of the media content based on a frequency of the user-generated comments. Other embodiments are disclosed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/157,908 filed Jan. 17, 2014 which is acontinuation of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/588,107 filed Aug. 17, 2012 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,645,997), which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/579,554 filed Oct.15, 2009 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,266,652), the disclosures of all of whichare incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to media content and morespecifically to an apparatus and method for transmitting media content.

BACKGROUND

Consumers can experience and interact with media content through avariety of means. For example, consumers can access media contentthrough Internet browsers, set-top-boxes (STBs), computers, mobiledevices, telephones, and through other means. Such media contentaccessed by consumers can include video content, audio content, stillimage content, text content, and/or other types of media content. Whenconsumers provide commentary on media content that they areexperiencing, such commentary can allow for a more interestingexperience, particularly when such commentary is shared with others.Additionally, commentary associated with the media content can be usedto identify portions of the media content which have significant meaningto the consumers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1-2 depict illustrative embodiments of communication systems thatprovide media services;

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a portal interacting withthe communication systems of FIGS. 1-2;

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication deviceutilized in the communication systems of FIGS. 1-2;

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a system for transmittingmedia content, the system operable in the communications systems ofFIGS. 1-2;

FIG. 6 depicts a screenshot illustrating commentary on a timelineassociated with a media program;

FIG. 7 illustrates a histogram which identifies clusters of commentswhich exceed a particular threshold;

FIG. 8 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method for transmittingmedia content, which is operable in portions of the communicationsystems of FIGS. 1-2 and 5; and

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the form of acomputer system within which a set of instructions, when executed, maycause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One embodiment of the present disclosure can entail a computing devicehaving a controller to transmit a client program having a graphical userinterface (GUI) to a media device operating in an interactive television(iTV) network, wherein the client program presents an overlay thatsuperimposes onto media content received by the media device and enablesthe media device to associate a user-generated comment with the mediacontent received at the media device, receive at least one of aplurality of user-generated comments and media content in a temporalvicinity of the plurality of user-generated comments via the clientprogram, receive a request to transmit to a recipient device a portionof the plurality of user-generated comments or the media content in thetemporal vicinity of the plurality of user-generated comments, andtransmit to the recipient device one of the portion or one or more linksto the portion.

Another embodiment of the present disclosure can entail a method,including steps to present media content received from a media contentsource, temporally monitor the presentation of the media content, detecta plurality of requests to generate a corresponding plurality ofuser-generated comments, generate a plurality of timestamps associatedwith the plurality of requests, receive the plurality of user-generatedcomments, temporally associate the plurality of user-generated commentswith the media content according to their corresponding plurality oftimestamps, and transmit to a recipient device information associatedwith the plurality of user-generated comments and temporal informationthereof.

Yet another embodiment of the present disclosure can entail acomputer-readable storage medium, comprising computer instructions toreceive a plurality of user-generated comments associated with mediacontent in a temporal vicinity of the plurality of user-generatedcomments from a media device, identify the media content associated withthe plurality of user-generated based on the received plurality ofuser-generated comments, retrieve information associated with at leastone of the plurality of user-generated comments and the identified mediacontent, receive a request to transmit to a recipient device theinformation associated with at least one of the plurality ofuser-generated comments and the identified media content, and transmitthe information associated with at least one of the plurality ofuser-generated comments and the identified media content.

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a first communicationsystem 100 for delivering media content. The communication system 100can represent an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) broadcast mediasystem. The IPTV media system can include a super head-end office (SHO)110 with at least one super head-end office server (SHS) 111 whichreceives media content from satellite and/or terrestrial communicationsystems. In the present context, media content can represent audiocontent, moving image content such as videos, still image content, orcombinations thereof. The SHS server 111 can forward packets associatedwith the media content to video head-end servers (VHS) 114 via a networkof video head-end offices (VHO) 112 according to a common multicastcommunication protocol.

The VHS 114 can distribute multimedia broadcast programs via an accessnetwork 118 to commercial and/or residential buildings 102 housing agateway 104 (such as a common residential or commercial gateway). Theaccess network 118 can represent a group of digital subscriber lineaccess multiplexers (DSLAMs) located in a central office or a servicearea interface that provide broadband services over optical links orcopper twisted pairs 119 to buildings 102. The gateway 104 can usecommon communication technology to distribute broadcast signals to mediaprocessors 106 such as Set-Top Boxes (STBs) which in turn presentbroadcast channels to media devices 108 such as computers or televisionsets managed in some instances by a media controller 107 (such as aninfrared or RF remote control).

The gateway 104, the media processors 106, and media devices 108 canutilize tethered interface technologies (such as coaxial or phone linewiring) or can operate over a common wireless access protocol. Withthese interfaces, unicast communications can be invoked between themedia processors 106 and subsystems of the IPTV media system forservices such as video-on-demand (VoD), browsing an electronicprogramming guide (EPG), or other infrastructure services.

Some of the network elements of the IPTV media system can be coupled toone or more computing devices 130 a portion of which can operate as aweb server for providing portal services over an Internet ServiceProvider (ISP) network 132 to wireline media devices 108 or wirelesscommunication devices 116 by way of a wireless access base station 117operating according to common wireless access protocols such as WirelessFidelity (WiFi), or cellular communication technologies (such as GSM,CDMA, UMTS, WiMAX, Software Defined Radio or SDR, and so on).

The first communication system 100 can also include a recipient mediadevice 135. The recipient media device 135 can be communicatively linkedto the ISP network 132, the one or more computing devices 130, and toother devices in the system 100. Notably, the recipient media device 135can be a STB, mobile device, personal computer, telephone, personaldigital assistant (PDA), or other device capable of receiving andtransmitting media content. Furthermore, the recipient media device 135can be configured to operative in an iTV network, which can include, butis not limited to including, IPTV, interactive cable television, andinteractive satellite television.

The recipient media device 135 can be configured to transmit requestsfor media content and commentary associated with the media content fromdevices in the system 100. The commentary can be user-generated and canbe in a temporal vicinity of the associated media content. The mediacontent and associated commentary can come from devices such as, but isnot limited to, STBs 106, media devices 108, and wireless communicationsdevice 116. Notably, the media content and associated commentary caninclude video content, audio content, still image content, text content,and other media content. Additionally, the recipient media device 135can be configured to receive and respond to requests from devices in thesystem 100 for media content and commentary associated with the mediacontent. In responding to the requests from the devices, the recipientmedia device 135 can transmit media content and commentary associatedwith the recipient media device 135 to the requesting devices.

Another distinct portion of the computing devices 130 can function as aserver (herein referred to as server 130). The server 130 can use commoncomputing and communication technology to perform the function ofreceiving, transmitting, maintaining, processing, and storing varioustypes of content. As mentioned above, such content can include videocontent, audio content, still image content, text content, and othercontent. The server 130 can maintain a client program, which can bedownloaded and/or accessed by the devices in the system 100. The clientprogram can be configured to present an overlay that can be superimposedonto the media content and can allow users of the devices in the system100 to associate a comment with media content received at the devices.

Additionally, the server 130 can be configured to receive requests forthe media content and commentary associated with the media content fromthe devices in the system 100, such as the recipient media device 135and the STBs 106. Furthermore, the server 130 can relay and/or store theactual media content and/or the commentary associated with the mediacontent, and/or relay links to the media content and/or commentaryassociated with the media content to the devices in the system 100requesting the content and/or commentary.

It will be appreciated by an artisan of ordinary skill in the art that asatellite broadcast television system can be used in place of the IPTVmedia system. In this embodiment, signals transmitted by a satellite 115supplying media content can be intercepted by a common satellite dishreceiver 131 coupled to the building 102. Modulated signals interceptedby the satellite dish receiver 131 can be submitted to the mediaprocessors 106 for generating broadcast channels which can be presentedat the media devices 108. The media processors 106 can be equipped witha broadband port to the ISP network 132 to enable infrastructureservices such as VoD and EPG described above.

In yet another embodiment, an analog or digital broadcast distributionsystem such as cable TV system 133 can be used in place of the IPTVmedia system described above. In this embodiment the cable TV system 133can provide Internet, telephony, and interactive media services.

It follows from the above illustrations that the present disclosure canapply to any present or future interactive over-the-air or landlinemedia content services.

FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication system 200.employing an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network architecture tofacilitate the combined services of circuit-switched and packet-switchedsystems. Communication system 200 can be overlaid or operably coupledwith communication system 100 as another representative embodiment ofcommunication system 100.

Communication system 200 can comprise a Home Subscriber Server (HSS)240, a Telephone Number Mapping (ENUM) server 230, and other commonnetwork elements of an IMS network 250. The IMS network 250 canestablish communications between IMS compliant communication devices(CD) 201, 202, Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) CDs 203, 205,and combinations thereof by way of a Media Gateway Control Function(MGCF) 220 coupled to a PSTN network 260.

IMS CDs 201, 202 can register with the IMS network 250 by contacting aProxy Call Session Control Function (P-CSCF) which communicates with acorresponding Serving CSCF (S-CSCF) to register the CDs with at the HSS240. To initiate a communication session between CDs, an originating IMSCD 201 can submit a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP INVITE) message toan originating P-CSCF 204 which communicates with a correspondingoriginating S-CSCF 206. The originating S-CSCF 206 can submit queries tothe ENUM system 230 to translate an E.164 telephone number in the SIPINVITE to a SIP Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) if the terminatingcommunication device is IMS compliant.

The SIP URI can be used by an Interrogating CSCF (I-CSCF) 207 to submita query to the HSS 240 to identify a terminating S-CSCF 214 associatedwith a terminating IMS CD such as reference 202. Once identified, theI-CSCF 207 can submit the SIP INVITE to the terminating S-CSCF 214. Theterminating S-CSCF 214 can then identify a terminating P-CSCF 216associated with the terminating CD 202. The P-CSCF 216 then signals theCD 202 to establish communications.

If the terminating communication device is instead a PSTN CD such asreferences 203 or 205, the ENUM system 230 can respond with anunsuccessful address resolution which can cause the originating S-CSCF206 to forward the call to the MGCF 220 via a Breakout Gateway ControlFunction (BGCF) 219. The MGCF 220 can then initiate the call to theterminating PSTN CD by common means over the PSTN network 260.

The aforementioned communication process is symmetrical. Accordingly,the terms “originating” and “terminating” in FIG. 2 are interchangeable.It is further noted that communication system 200 can be adapted tosupport video conferencing by way of common protocols such as H.323. Inaddition, communication system 200 can be adapted to provide the IMS CDs201, 203 the multimedia and Internet services of communication system100.

The server 130 of FIG. 1 can be operably coupled to the secondcommunication system 200 for purposes similar to those described above.

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a portal 302 which canoperate from the computing devices 130 described earlier ofcommunication 100 illustrated in FIG. 1. The portal 302 can be used formanaging services of communication systems 100-200. The portal 302 canbe accessed by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) with a common Internetbrowser such as Microsoft's Internet Explorer™ using an Internet-capablecommunication device such as those described for FIGS. 1-2. The portal302 can be configured, for example, to access a media processor 106 andservices managed thereby such as a Digital Video Recorder (DVR), a VoDcatalog, an EPG, a personal catalog (such as personal videos, pictures,audio recordings, etc.) stored in the media processor, provisioning IMSservices described earlier, provisioning Internet services, provisioningcellular phone services, and so on.

FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a communication device 400.Communication device 400 can serve in whole or in part as anillustrative embodiment of the communication devices of FIGS. 1-2. Thecommunication device 400 can comprise a wireline and/or wirelesstransceiver 402 (herein transceiver 402), a user interface (UI) 404, apower supply 414, a location receiver 416, and a controller 406 formanaging operations thereof. The transceiver 402 can support short-rangeor long-range wireless access technologies such as Bluetooth, WiFi,Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT), or cellularcommunication technologies, just to mention a few. Cellular technologiescan include, for example, CDMA-1X, UMTS/HSDPA, GSM/GPRS, TDMA/EDGE,EV/DO, WiMAX, SDR, and next generation cellular wireless communicationtechnologies as they arise. The transceiver 402 can also be adapted tosupport circuit-switched wireline access technologies (such as PSTN),packet-switched wireline access technologies (such as TCPIP, VoIP,etc.), and combinations thereof.

The UI 404 can include a depressible or touch-sensitive keypad 408 witha navigation mechanism such as a roller ball, joystick, mouse, ornavigation disk for manipulating operations of the communication device400. The keypad 408 can be an integral part of a housing assembly of thecommunication device 400 or an independent device operably coupledthereto by a tethered wireline interface (such as a USB cable) or awireless interface supporting for example Bluetooth. The keypad 408 canrepresent a numeric dialing keypad commonly used by phones, and/or aQwerty keypad with alphanumeric keys. The UI 404 can further include adisplay 410 such as monochrome or color LCD (Liquid Crystal Display),OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) or other suitable display technologyfor conveying images to an end user of the communication device 400. Inan embodiment where the display 410 is touch-sensitive, a portion or allof the keypad 408 can be presented by way of the display.

The UI 404 can also include an audio system 412 that utilizes commonaudio technology for conveying low volume audio (such as audio heardonly in the proximity of a human ear) and high volume audio (such asspeakerphone for hands free operation). The audio system 412 can furtherinclude a microphone for receiving audible signals of an end user. Theaudio system 412 can also be used for voice recognition applications.The UI 404 can further include an image sensor 413 such as a chargedcoupled device (CCD) camera for capturing still or moving images.

The power supply 414 can utilize common power management technologiessuch as replaceable and rechargeable batteries, supply regulationtechnologies, and charging system technologies for supplying energy tothe components of the communication device 400 to facilitate long-rangeor short-range portable applications. The location receiver 416 canutilize common location technology such as a global positioning system(GPS) receiver for identifying a location of the communication device400 based on signals generated by a constellation of GPS satellites,thereby facilitating common location services such as navigation.

The communication device 400 can use the transceiver 402 to alsodetermine a proximity to a cellular, WiFi or Bluetooth access point bycommon power sensing techniques such as utilizing a received signalstrength indicator (RSSI) and/or a signal time of arrival (TOA) or timeof flight (TOF). The controller 406 can utilize computing technologiessuch as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and/or avideo processor with associated storage memory such a Flash, ROM, RAM,SRAM, DRAM or other storage technologies.

The communication device 400 can be adapted to perform the functions ofthe media processor 106, the media devices 108, or the portablecommunication devices 116 of FIG. 1, as well as the IMS CDs 201-202 andPSTN CDs 203-205 of FIG. 2. It will be appreciated that thecommunication device 400 can also represent other common devices thatcan operate in communication systems 100-200 of FIGS. 1-2 such as agaming console and a media player.

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a system 500 fortransmitting media content, the system 500 being operable in portions ofthe communications systems of FIGS. 1-2. The system 500 can include oneor more media devices 502, 504, and 506, which can be configured todeliver media content to display devices 508 a-c and deliver and/orreceive media content from server 510, communications device 512, andcomputing device 514. The media devices 502, 504, and 506 can be STBs orother similar media devices. The display devices 508 a-c can include anydevice capable of displaying and/or playing media content such astelevisions, cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDA),computers, and the like. The server 510 can be a device including theoperative features of server 130, among other features. Thecommunications device 512 can include, for example, a mobile device, acellular phone, wireless device, or other communications device and thecomputing device 514 can be a computer or laptop.

The server 510 can be utilized to communicatively link the media devices502 to the other devices of the system 500. Notably, the server 510 canbe configured to receive, transmit, maintain, and store various types ofmedia content. Additionally, the server 510 can include a clientprogram, which can be accessed, downloaded, and/or otherwise utilized bythe devices in the system 500. The client program can present an overlaythat can be superimposed onto media content that is displayed and/orreceived at the devices in the system 500. Users of the client programcan use the client program to associate commentary/comments with themedia content accessed by the user.

Users of the client program can select a portion of the media contentand insert a comment in a temporal vicinity of the media content. Forexample, if the user is watching a television show, the user can selecta particular scene or segment of the show and type in a comment, whichcan be associated with the scene or segment at the particular point intime that the scene or segment is shown. Of course, multiple usersexperiencing the same media content can each insert their own commentsto associate with the media content as well. Referring now also to FIG.6, a screenshot 600 illustrating commentary on a timeline associatedwith a media program, is illustratively shown. The screenshot 600features an overlay generated by the client program. The overlay caninclude menu buttons and other operative controls which are featured onthe screenshot 600. Notably, the overlay can include a timeline 601,which can reflect the entire duration of a media program playing at auser's media device.

As the screenshot 600 illustrates, comments have been inserted atvarious points in the timeline 601 of the media program. The bluespheres in the screenshot 600 can indicate that a comment has beeninserted at that particular point in the timeline 601 of the mediaprogram. For example, a single comment 602, a single comment 604, asingle comment 606, and four comments 608 have been inserted into thetimeline 601. Once the user-generated comments are associated with theirrespective media content, the user can utilize the client program totransmit the media content, commentary/comments, and/or links to thecontent and commentary to the server 510. The server 510 can beconfigured to access, store, and maintain the media content, commentary,and/or links to the media content and commentary. Additionally, theserver 510 can be configured to maintain information about the mediacontent and commentary. If only the links to the media content are sentto the server 510, the server 510 can be configured to identify andextract the actual media content associated with the link. Similarly, ifonly the links to the commentary are sent to the server 510, the server510 can be configured to extract the actual commentary associated withthe link.

The server 510 and/or the other devices in the system 500 can beconfigured to receive requests for the commentary and/or the mediacontent from recipient media devices, which can be the devices in thesystem 500. For example, media device 502 and transmit a request toserver 510 for media content and commentary from communications device512. When the server 510 receives a request from a recipient mediadevice, the server 510 can transmit at least a portion of the actualmedia content and commentary and/or the links to the media content andcommentary to the recipient media device. If only the links are sent tothe recipient media device, the recipient media device can access themedia content and/or commentary via the links.

The recipient media device can then be configured to present the mediacontent and/or commentary through a display device, such as displaydevices 508 a-c. Notably, the users of the recipient media device canutilize the client program much like the users of the media devicesgenerating the commentary. Additionally, user-generated commentary andmedia content can be generated at the recipient media device and can betransmitted to other devices in the system 500 that request thecommentary and/or media content generated at the recipient media device.

In an embodiment, the server 510 can prompt a media device, such asmedia devices 502, 504, and 506, to set a range of the media content tobe transmitted to the server 510. For example, the media device can seta range of the media content, which is thirty seconds before and thirtyseconds after any commentary associated with the media content. Notably,the range can be defined by vertical start and end lines within thetimeline of the media program that is presented by the client program,such as those surrounding comment 604 in FIG. 6. In another embodiment,the user of the media device can set the range without being prompted bythe server 510.

In an embodiment, the server 510 and/or other devices of the system 500can be configured to identify clusters of comments in a media program. Auser of a media device, such as media device 502, can cause the mediadevice to request an identification of clusters with the most frequentcommentaries in a media program. The user can request to export one ormore of the clusters that are identified by the server 510. Much like asdescribed above, each cluster can be exported with a range of the mediaprogram starting before the first comment and ending some time after thelast comment in the cluster. Referring again to FIG. 6, the server 510can identify that there is a cluster of four comments 608 in theparticular media program. The cluster of four comments 608 and a rangeof the media content associated with the four comments 608 can be sentto the media device requesting the identification of the cluster.

In yet another embodiment, a threshold for the comments can be set bythe server 510 and/or by the other devices in the system 500. Referringnow also to FIG. 7, a histogram 700, which identifies clusters ofcomments which exceed a particular threshold, is illustratively shown.If, for example, the threshold was five comments, any cluster which hasfive or more comments can be identified as a cluster or flagged as acluster of importance. As the histogram 700 illustrates, any cluster ofcomments which pass the dotted threshold line can be identified by theserver 510 or other devices of the system 500. The clusters satisfyingthe threshold can be transmitted to requesting devices.

FIG. 8 depicts an illustrative method 800 for transmitting media contentthat operates in portions of the communication systems of FIGS. 1-2, andFIG. 5. Method 800 can begin with step 802 in which a media device canpresent media content received from a media source. At step 804, themedia device can temporally monitor the presentation of the mediacontent. The media device can then be configured to detect a pluralityof requests to generate a corresponding plurality of user-generatedcomments/commentary associated with the media content being presented atthe media device at step 806. For example, a user of the media devicecan select a function from the client program described above to sendthe requests to the media device.

At step 808, the media device can generate a plurality of timestampsassociated with the plurality of requests to generate a correspondingplurality of user-generated comments. As an illustration, if a usersends a request at thirty seconds into a movie, a timestamp can begenerated by the media device at thirty seconds into the movie. At step810, the media device can receive the plurality of user-generatedcomments from the user/users generating the comments. The media devicecan then temporally associate the user-generated comments with the mediacontent according to the timestamps associated with the requests at step812. For example, if there is a timestamp at thirty seconds into a moviefor a particular request, the media device can insert or otherwiseassociate the comment at that point in the movie.

At step 814, the media device can transmit the media content, commentaryassociated with the media content, and/or information about thecommentary and media content to a server, such as server 510. Theinformation about the commentary and media content can be linksidentifying the commentary or media content, portions of the mediacontent and commentary, descriptions of the commentary or media content,or other information associated with the commentary and media content.The server can determine if it has received the content, commentary,and/or information about the content and commentary at step 816. If theserver does not receive the content/commentary and/or information aboutthe content/commentary, then the media device can retransmit thecontent/commentary.

If, however, the server does receive the content, commentary, and/orinformation about the content and commentary, the server can transmitthe content, commentary, and/or information about the content andcommentary to recipient media device at step 818. At step 820, therecipient media device can present the content, commentary, and/orinformation about the content and commentary. In one embodiment, if therecipient media device receives only a link to the media content orcommentary, the recipient media device can allow a user to select thelink to experience or view the media content or commentary. This allowsthe user to selectively choose when the user can view and/or experiencethe content and commentary.

In an embodiment, the server can identify a section of a media programbased on the comments received from the media device. In anotherembodiment, the server can prompt the user of the media device to definea range of the media content that is to be exported with the commentassociated with the media content. In yet another embodiment, the servercan identify clusters of the most frequent comments in a media program.In still another embodiment, a threshold for the comments can be set byeither the server or the media device. The method 800 furtherincorporates the operative functions of the systems described above.

Upon reviewing the aforementioned embodiments, it would be evident to anartisan with ordinary skill in the art that said embodiments can bemodified, reduced, or enhanced without departing from the scope andspirit of the claims described below. For example, the server 510 and/orthe other devices in the system 500 can be configured to filter contentfrom the user-generated commentaries and/or the media content associatedwith the user-generated commentaries based on filtering parameters. Ifthe filtering parameters dictated that all obscene content is to befiltered from commentary and/or the media content associated with thecommentary, then the server 510 or other devices can filter thecommentary and/or media content prior to transmitting the commentaryand/or media content to a recipient media device requesting the content.

In another embodiment, the server 510 and/or the other devices in thesystem 500 can be configured to replace the filtered content withsubstitute content. For example, if a particular obscene word isfiltered out, the server 510 can insert the word “happy” every time theparticular obscene word is detected by the server 510. In oneembodiment, the user of the media device can be given the option totransmit either the comments or the media clip associated with thecomments.

Other suitable modifications can be applied to the present disclosurewithout departing from the scope of the claims below. Accordingly, thereader is directed to the claims section for a fuller understanding ofthe breadth and scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 depicts an exemplary diagrammatic representation of a machine inthe form of a computer system 900 within which a set of instructions,when executed, may cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies discussed above. In some embodiments, the machine operatesas a standalone device. In some embodiments, the machine may beconnected (e.g., using a network) to other machines. In a networkeddeployment, the machine may operate in the capacity of a server or aclient user machine in server-client user network environment, or as apeer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment.

The machine may comprise a server computer, a client user computer, apersonal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a laptop computer, a desktopcomputer, a control system, a network router, switch or bridge, or anymachine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential orotherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. It will beunderstood that a device of the present disclosure includes broadly anyelectronic device that provides voice, video or data communication.Further, while a single machine is illustrated, the term “machine” shallalso be taken to include any collection of machines that individually orjointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform anyone or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

The computer system 900 may include a processor 902 (e.g., a centralprocessing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU, or both), a mainmemory 904 and a static memory 906, which communicate with each othervia a bus 908. The computer system 900 may further include a videodisplay unit 910 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), a flat panel, asolid state display, or a cathode ray tube (CRT)). The computer system900 may include an input device 912 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor controldevice 914 (e.g., a mouse), a disk drive unit 916, a signal generationdevice 918 (e.g., a speaker or remote control) and a network interfacedevice 920.

The disk drive unit 916 may include a machine-readable medium 922 onwhich is stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g., software 924)embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions describedherein, including those methods illustrated above. The instructions 924may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the mainmemory 904, the static memory 906, and/or within the processor 902during execution thereof by the computer system 900. The main memory 904and the processor 902 also may constitute machine-readable media.

Dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to,application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays andother hardware devices can likewise be constructed to implement themethods described herein. Applications that may include the apparatusand systems of various embodiments broadly include a variety ofelectronic and computer systems. Some embodiments implement functions intwo or more specific interconnected hardware modules or devices withrelated control and data signals communicated between and through themodules, or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit.Thus, the example system is applicable to software, firmware, andhardware implementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, themethods described herein are intended for operation as software programsrunning on a computer processor. Furthermore, software implementationscan include, but not limited to, distributed processing orcomponent/object distributed processing, parallel processing, or virtualmachine processing can also be constructed to implement the methodsdescribed herein.

The present disclosure contemplates a machine readable medium containinginstructions 924, or that which receives and executes instructions 924from a propagated signal so that a device connected to a networkenvironment 926 can send or receive voice, video or data, and tocommunicate over the network 926 using the instructions 924. Theinstructions 924 may further be transmitted or received over a network926 via the network interface device 920.

While the machine-readable medium 922 is shown in an example embodimentto be a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” should betaken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralizedor distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) thatstore the one or more sets of instructions. The term “machine-readablemedium” shall also be taken to include any medium that is capable ofstoring, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution by themachine and that cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies of the present disclosure.

The term “machine-readable medium” shall accordingly be taken toinclude, but not be limited to: solid-state memories such as a memorycard or other package that houses one or more read-only (non-volatile)memories, random access memories, or other re-writable (volatile)memories; magneto-optical or optical medium such as a disk or tape;and/or a digital file attachment to e-mail or other self-containedinformation archive or set of archives is considered a distributionmedium equivalent to a tangible storage medium. Accordingly, thedisclosure is considered to include any one or more of amachine-readable medium or a distribution medium, as listed herein andincluding art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which thesoftware implementations herein are stored.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsimplemented in the embodiments with reference to particular standardsand protocols, the disclosure is not limited to such standards andprotocols. Each of the standards for Internet and other packet switchednetwork transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, HTTP) representexamples of the state of the art. Such standards are periodicallysuperseded by faster or more efficient equivalents having essentiallythe same functions. Accordingly, replacement standards and protocolshaving the same functions are considered equivalents.

The illustrations of embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments,and they are not intended to serve as a complete description of all theelements and features of apparatus and systems that might make use ofthe structures described herein. Many other embodiments will be apparentto those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Otherembodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom, such that structuraland logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing fromthe scope of this disclosure. Figures are also merely representationaland may not be drawn to scale. Certain proportions thereof may beexaggerated, while others may be minimized. Accordingly, thespecification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative ratherthan a restrictive sense.

Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred toherein, individually and/or collectively, by the term “invention” merelyfor convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope ofthis application to any single invention or inventive concept if morethan one is in fact disclosed. Thus, although specific embodiments havebeen illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that anyarrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substitutedfor the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to coverany and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments.Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments notspecifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in theart upon reviewing the above description.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to allow the reader toquickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It issubmitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpretor limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in theforegoing Detailed Description, it can be seen that various features aregrouped together in a single embodiment for the purpose of streamliningthe disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted asreflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require morefeatures than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as thefollowing claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than allfeatures of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus the following claims arehereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claimstanding on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: receiving, by a systemincluding a processor, a plurality of user-generated comments associatedwith media content, wherein the plurality of user-generated comments areannotated to the media content during presentations of the media contentby a group of communication devices; identifying, by the system from theplurality of user-generated comments, a cluster of comments associatedwith a segment of the media content based on a frequency of theplurality of user-generated comments; filtering, by the system, thecluster of comments based on subject matter to generate a filteredcluster of comments; identifying, by the system, a sample segmentaccording to a range of the segment of the media content that is to betransmitted to a recipient device; and transmitting, by the system, thefiltered cluster of comments and the sample segment to the recipientdevice.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the range of the segment is aportion of the segment starting at a time period before a first commentand after a second comment.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein thefiltering of the cluster of comments further comprises replacing aportion of the cluster of comments with substitute content.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: receiving user input; determiningthe range of the segment based on the user input; and transmitting aclient program to the group of communication devices operating in aninteractive television network, wherein the client program presents anoverlay that is superimposed onto the media content, wherein annotationsare presented along a time line in the overlay, and wherein each of theannotations is representative of a corresponding one of the plurality ofuser-generated comments.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein thepresentations of the media content is performed at different times fordifferent groups of the communication devices.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein the media content comprises audio content and video content, andwherein the sample segment is a portion of the segment selected from atime before a first comment and a time after a second comment.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the range of the segment of the media contentis set based on user input received from one of the plurality ofcomputing devices.
 8. The method of claim 1, comprising transmitting tothe recipient device a communication link to the sample segment.
 9. Adevice, comprising: a memory that stores instructions; and a processorcoupled to the memory, wherein responsive to executing the instructions,the processor performs operations comprising: receiving a plurality ofuser-generated comments associated with media content, wherein theplurality of user-generated comments are temporally associated with aportion of the media content during presentations of the media contentby a group of communication devices; and identifying from the pluralityof user-generated comments a cluster of comments associated with asegment of the media content based on a frequency of the user-generatedcomments.
 10. The device of claim 9, wherein the operations furthercomprise setting a range of the segment of the media content that is tobe transmitted to a recipient device, wherein the range comprises aportion of the segment measured by a time period before a first commentto a time period after a second comment.
 11. The device of claim 10,wherein the range of the segment of the media content is set based onuser input received from one of the plurality of computing devices. 12.The device of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise enablingaccess to the segment of the media content via a communication link,wherein the range of the segment is a portion of the segment measured bya time period before a first comment and after a second comment.
 13. Thedevice of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise: filteringthe cluster of comments based on subject matter to generate a filteredcluster of comments; and enabling access to the filtered cluster ofcomments for a recipient device.
 14. The device of claim 13, wherein thefiltering of the cluster of comments includes replacing a portion of thecluster of comments with substitute content.
 15. The device of claim 9,wherein the operations further comprise transmitting a client program tothe group of communication devices operating in an interactivetelevision network, wherein the client program presents an overlay witha time line that superimposes onto the media content.
 16. The device ofclaim 9, wherein the frequency of the user-generated comments comprisesa group of user-generated comments having a high incidence ofuser-generated comments on a histogram of the user-generated comments.17. The device of claim 9, wherein the presentation of the media contentat the group of communication devices includes a presentation atdifferent times for at least some of the group of communication devices.18. The device of claim 9, wherein the plurality of user-generatedcomments are temporally associated with the portion of the media contentbased on time stamps.
 19. A non-transitory machine-readable storagemedium, comprising instructions, wherein responsive to executing theinstructions, a processor performs operations comprising: receiving aplurality of user-generated comments associated with media content,wherein the plurality of user-generated comments are annotated to themedia content via a time line presented with the media content, andwherein the media content is presented by a group of communicationdevices; identifying from the plurality of user-generated comments acluster of comments associated with a segment of the media content basedon a frequency of the user-generated comments; filtering the cluster ofcomments based on a filtering parameter to generate a filtered clusterof comments; selecting a sample segment according to a range of thesegment; and transmitting the filtered cluster of comments and thesample segment to a recipient device.
 20. The non-transitorymachine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the range comprisesa portion of the segment measured by a time period before a firstcomment to a time period after a second comment.